Readings on Carbon Prints

Can anyone recommend readings on the carbon printing process? Anything ranging from technical explanations to accounts of its historical and cultural significance, particularly within the pictorial movement.

Replies to This Discussion

While you do state "readings" on the carbon print process, I'm going to suggest this excellent series of videos by a professional photographer here in the US who specializes in them. Personally, I find the carbon print process one of the most difficult to "wrap my head around" because of its complexity and while these five videos might, in the end, be more than you need to know, after watching them I had a very clear understanding of how the whole process works. Below is the url to the website page that contains the videos.

This looks really helpful, I will check out the videos. Thank you very much for the suggestion.

Best wishes,

Malcolm

John Minichiello said:

Hi Malcolm,

While you do state "readings" on the carbon print process, I'm going to suggest this excellent series of videos by a professional photographer here in the US who specializes in them. Personally, I find the carbon print process one of the most difficult to "wrap my head around" because of its complexity and while these five videos might, in the end, be more than you need to know, after watching them I had a very clear understanding of how the whole process works. Below is the url to the website page that contains the videos.

Hi, Malcolm. There's plenty on the technical side. The Autotype Company published a number of manuals and there are books such as E J Wall's Carbon Printing (6th ed, 1902). Something more closely related to pictorialism is F C Lambert, The Practical Photographer. no. 13. The Carbon Process (Oct 1904). I have copies if you're back in London and want to see them. I suspect the periodical press of the time will have discussed carbon's application to pictorialism.

Thanks very much for the suggestions, which I will look into. They sound promising. I might be able to locate copies of the Lambert article and manuals at the Bensusan library. Otherwise I'll be in contact in October, when I'm back, to take you up on your kind offer.

I've attached a .pdf file which contains extracts from a book from my library and an original brochure published by 'The Autotype Company, London'. The book is 'The Dictionary of Photography', by E.J.Wall publ: 1897.

Was once in my possession and now in the collection of the NGA (National Gallery of Australia) a non-descript title 'Memorials of the Old College of Glasgow', publ 1872 by Thomas Annan containing 40 carbon prints of portraits of professors, signed on the mount, and architectural photos of Glasgow University prior to rebuilding. It was a treasure.

Was once in my possession and now in the collection of the NGA (National Gallery of Australia) a non-descript title 'Memorials of the Old College of Glasgow', publ 1872 by Thomas Annan containing 40 carbon prints of portraits of professors, signed on the mount, and architectural photos of Glasgow University prior to rebuilding. It was a treasure.